Power operable burial device



June 20, 1939. I w w HAASE 2,163,172

POWER OPERABLE BURIAL DEVICE Original Filed April 23, 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet l III F Z June 20, 1939. w. w. HAASE POWER OPERABLE BURIAL DEVICE Original Filed April 23, 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 0; fi Ill/lI/l/l/I/l/mum/nmmmrmmmqgfii June 20, 1939. w w HAASE 2,163,172

POWER OPERABLE BURIAL DEVICE Original Filed April 23, 1936 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented June 20, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE POWER OPERABLE BURIAL DEVICE Wilbert W. Haase, Forest Park, Ill., assignor to Wilbert W. Haase 00., Forest Park, 111., a corporation of Illinois 9 Claims.

This invention relates to a power operable burial device and is a division of my earlier application Serial Number 75,952, filed April 23,

1936, for Sectional burial apparatus.

3 An important object of this invention is to provide a motorized burial device or such a device which is equipped with power apparatus and suitable controls therefor whereby the burial device may be actuated to lift or lower a vault at m the will of an operator who may upon occasion be concealed or located in a remote and inconspicuous position.

A further object of the invention is to provide a portable power attachment which may be operm ably attached to a burial device for raising or lowering a burial vault or casket and such a device which can be operated in remote locations such as in a cemetery where line power is not ordinarily available.

Other objects and advantages of the invention, such as the economy of construction and efliciency of operation will be apparent as it is better understood from the following description, which,

taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, discloses a preferred embodiment thereof.

Referring to the drawings.

Figure l, is a plan view of an assembled power operable burial device embodying my invention. 30 Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section taken substantially on line 22 in Figure 1.

Fig. 3 is an elevational view of a winch pedestal broken away in part to illustrate details of construction.

Fig. 4 is an elevational view of a bearing pedestal, broken away in part to show details of constructlon.

Fig. 5 is an elevational section of the winch pedestal taken substantially on line 55 in Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a plan section taken substantially on line 66 in Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a longitudinal section of one of the winding shafts.

Fig. 8 is a section taken substantially on line 88 in Fig. 7 illustrating the construction of the winding shaft and one of the spools carried thereby; and,

Fig. 9 is a longitudinal section illustrating details of construction of one of the telescoping connecting shafts.

To illustrate the invention I have shown a burial winch assembly of the type disclosed in my above mentioned earlier application of which this application is a division, and by means of which a 55 blu'ial vault 5 or similar burial container may be lowered into a grave excavation and a casket 6 may be lowered into the burial vault as an inciden to or during interment. In accordance with my invention a power unit I is shown operably attached to the burial winch assembly for effecting the above mentioned operations.

The burial winch assembly includes winch pedestals bearing pedestals l2, winding shafts l3, each carrying winding spools l4, and carrier cables l5. The pedestals II and I2 are shown arranged at the four corners of a grave excavation or in pairs at the opposite ends thereof with a winding shaft l3 operably mounted between each pair and having the ends of the carrier cables |5 secured to the winding spools I4 thereof.

The carrier cables |5 extend between the two winding shafts I3 across the grave excavation to receive the vault 5 and rotation of the shafts |3 to wind onto or unwind cable from the shafts l3 effect corresponding elevating or lowering movement of the vault 5 carried thereby.

The windingshafts l3 illustrated in Fig. 7 are extensible to facilitate adjustment in accordance with the width of varying grave excavations and correspondingly varying sizes of vaults and caskets and each one thereof includes telescoping tubes 2| and 22 formed in cross-section in accordance with and to provide sockets for receiving square drive stems 23 extending from the winch pedestals A portion of the tube 22 is formed to reduced dimensions to telescope within and rotate with the tube 2|.

Spacing tubes 25 and 26 are arranged over and secured to the tubes 2| and 22 and cover tubes 21 and 28 are arranged over and similarly secured to the tubes 25 and 2'5.

The winding spools 3| (Figs. 7 and 8) have sockets 32 therein into which a hook finger 33 projects to which the ends of the carrier cables |5 may be anchored and the spools are suitably secured to the winding shafts I3 by means of set screws 34.

Set screws 35 facilitate rigid attachment of the winding shafts l3 to the drive stems 23 of the pedestals II and to similar stems 35 extending from the bearing pedestals l2.

The carrier cables |5 are wire cables of suitable length and adapted for engagement with the hook fingers 23 of the winding spools 3|.

The winch pedestal N (Fig. 3) includes a housing 5| in which a winch gear 52 is mounted on and secured to a shaft 53 having a bearing at 54 in a boss 55 formed in the housing 5| and another bearing in a closure cap 56 suitably secured to the housing 5|. An annular portion 58 ofthe capllengasesahubporflonlloi'the gearltsndcooperateswiththebosslltoprevent axial movement thereof.

The means provided for actuating the winch gear ltincludesawormll securedtoaiackshaft l! which is rotatably mounted in the housing ll sothatthewormcarriedtherebywillengage and drive the gear I! and which may extend from the housing Bl to facilitate the engagement thereof by means of a suitable crank for manually operating or adjusting the winch mechanism.

The plain bearing pedestal I! (Fig. 4) similarly includes a body or housing It in which an idler shaft llisjoumaledinabosstl formed inthe bodytlandislocatedaxiallybymeansofa collar II secured to the shaft ll by means of a set screw 08. A cover member '0 which alsoforms a bearing for the shaft t! secures the assembly in operable relatipnship. I

' All as described in my above mentioned earlier application which also discloses means and mechanisms whereby the casket i may be lowered into a vault as an incident to operation of the above described apparatus, some parts of which are shown in Figs. 1 and 2 but will not be described herein because they form no part of this invention except to the extent that they duplicate the functions of the parts above described.

In accordance with this invention the winch pedestals I I are'adapted for the connection thereto of a power drive and to accomplish this I have shown a jack shaft 12 rotatably molmted in the housing ll adJacent the shaft 82 and substantially parallel thereto. The shaft l2 extends through the housing SI and carries a universal joint I! at one end and a spur gear 14 at the other end thereof. A companion spur gear 15 mounted on and secured to the shaft 62 provides a drive connection with the shaft 12. An end II of the shaft It is formed square or for a keyed connection with a suitable crank to provide means for manually adiusting or operating the winch upon occasion.

A suitable cover- H which is apertured for the shaft 12 may be provided and attached to the housing II in any suitable manner.

The power unit I includes a support II, which may be any suitable body on or within which the power devices may be arranged and supported, power equipment including in the present embodiment electric motors 82 and 93 connected through flexible couplings l4 and 95 to a speed reducing device .8, and a battery 91 which is electrically coupled to operate the motors 92 and 93 through suitable switches as will be later described.

The power unit is constructed and arranged to be conveniently positioned along or at one side of the burial apparatus as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 and is operably connected thereto by means including a gear housing 98 extending from the speed reducing device 96 into which a drive shaft ll of the speed reducing device extends to receive a bevel gear III which is suitably secured for rotation therewith and is arranged to drive oppositely disposed bevel gears II! and III suitably secured to stub shafts I and I05 respectively, each of which is journaled in the housing 98 and is suitably secured to a connecting device, such as the universal joint devices "6 and Ill illustrated. A housing cover llll enclosm the gears III, II! and M3 and forms a partof the for the shafts Ill and I".

Keyed or square spindles I extend from the universal joint devices I and III for suitable connecting shafts whereby power may be groans drive shaft.

A spindle Il may extend from the universal joint I2 into the tube II I to engage a compression spring ill which is anchored in tube Ill, bymeansofatransversepin |l5,forcentralising the tube Ill. To ble these drive shafts the tubes III are first positioned over the spindles Ill with the wring ill compressed so that the opposite endof the tube III will receive the spindleILtheextension H2 is thenextended and engaged with the part III of the universal joint 13 to form a complete driving connection as 11- lustrated in Pig. 9.

In accordance with myinvention a remote control is provided whereby the winch mechanism may be actuated and controlled from a remote location and to accomplkh this push buttons Ill and IILadaptedtocontroIarelsyswitch lll,are mounted adjacent the end of a cable II! which may be of any suitable length and carries suitable wires for connecting the push buttons H6 and ill for selectively actuating relay switch.

The relay switch I isconnected to the battery I through a cable III, to the motor 02' through an individual switch element forming a part of the switch ill and connected for control by the push button lit and through a cable I22 connected to the motor, and to the motor .3 through a similar individual switch connected for control bythe push button ill and a cable I23. Suitable cables Ill and I" complete the electrical circuit by connecting the motors l2 and It with the battery l l.

Themotorsll andflareormaybesuitable standard right hand or clockwise motors which when mounted in opposed relationship as illustrated will rotate in opposite directions when energised. The drive shafts of these motors are connected through the flexible couplings N and II, which may be any suitable standard coupiings,totheoppositeends of ahighspeedshaft "I of the speed red device. A suitable worm ltlissecuredtorotatewiththeshaft Ill and is disposed to drive a worm gear I carried onandsecuredtorotatethedriveshaftllfcr driving the bevel gear Ill.

The battery I! is preferably a storage battery of suitable capacity as illustrated.

The above described apparatus provides a power operable burial device which will-eifect the raisingorloweringofaburialvaultatthewill of an operator and in response to the selective pressing of the push buttons II and Ill and itisobviousthattheoperatormaybenearor remotefromtheburialapparatusandmsybe concealed upon occasions.

It is thought that the invention and many of itsattendantadvantsgeswillbeunderstoodfrom the foregoing description, and it will be apparent thatvarlouschangesmaybemadeintheform,

and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, or sacrificing all of its material advantages, the form hereinbefore described being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

I claim:

1. The combination with burial apparatus comprising, a winch mechanism arrangeable about a grave excavation and to lift or lower a burial vault therein, of a motorized power unit arrangeable adjacent and having detachable engagement with the winch mechanism including control driving devices, and devices extending from said power unit and forming detachable driving connections with said winch mechanism whereby the winch mechanism may be actuated upon occasion.

2. The combination with a burial winch mechanism, of a portable electrically operable power unit detachably engaged therewith for actuating the winch mechanism, and control means therefor including switches for determining the directional action of the power unit.

3. The combination, with a burial device including rotatable lowering means and support means therefor, of a power unit for actuating said lowering means comprising a body, a drive device extending from said body for connection to said burial device, motor means arranged to efiect rotation of said drive device in either direction, battery means for energizing said motor means carried by said body, and switch devices operably connected to control operation of the .drive device in either direction.

5. The combination with a burial device including rotatable lowering means and support means therefor, of a power unit for actuating said lowering means comprising a body, a drive device extending from said body for connection to said burial device, battery operable power means connected for actuating said drive means and carried by said body, battery means carried by said body, and connecting means including directional control switches connected to effect operation of said power means in either a forward or a reverse direction whereby corresponding operation of the lowering means may be eii'ected. l

6. In a casket or vault lowering device of the character wherein the lowering device is provided with motive power means responsive to control for raising and controlling the lowering of the casket or vault, the combination with such power means, of manually selective means including mechanism operatively connected to said power means for effecting raising or lowering action thereof, whereby said power means may be selectively controlled.

7. In a casket or vault lowering device of the character wherein the lowering device is provided with motive power means for raising and controlling the lowering of the casket or vault, the combination with such power means of operably connected manually selective control devices individualized to the raising and the lowering control action of said power means, whereby operation of said power means may be selectively controlled. 8; For association with a casket or vault lowering device in which said device comprises means for supporting and moving the casket or vault, aselectively operable power mechanism for eil'ecting raising or lowering movement of said casket or vault, and control means operably connected to actuate said power mechanism and being selectively operable manually whereby either raising or lowering movement of the easket or vault may be effected.

9. For association with a casket or vault lowering device in which said device comprises means for supporting and moving the casket or vault, power operated mechanism for effecting raising or lowering movement of said casket or vault in response to selective control, and remote control means operably connected to actuate said power operated mechanism and being responsive to selective manual operation whereby raising and lowering movements of the casket or vault may be eiIected in accordance with requirements.

WILBER'I' W. HAASE. 

